Thursday, December 30, 2010

Note to self: Learn to make omelettes, not just eat them.

Were it not for a breeze that got a little too ambitious at times, today would have been a perfect summer day; a few high clouds in the sky, a temperature hovering around 24ºC, and a slight wind to take the edge off the sun’s heat. I opted to spend much of the morning outside, sitting under the shade of a shrub with my laptop and mobile internet key, sending e-mails back and forth with several people concerning details of the Heaphy Track and my upcoming WWOOFing experience in Granity. The devil is always in the details, they say, but fortunately the details for these particular excursions appear to be working out (for now).

This afternoon I also spent outside; I brought in one load of laundry and hung up another, then sat on the lawn and read my book, Tiger wandering back and forth every now and then for some petting attention before running off and chasing a bird, bug, or butterfly. Two white pigeons watched me warily from their perch high atop the birdbath Frank fills with bread crumbs every morning; apparently I am not someone to be trusted because I consort with their mortal enemy, the stealthy orange and white feline.

Once again I set up my tent in the backyard; this time, to make sure the footprint I bought for it yesterday at Kathmandu does indeed fit the bottom properly (it does). No sooner did I fetch the tent’s bag from my room, however, then the wind began to pick up, making laying out the groundsheet and pitching the tent a challenge. I suppose it’s good practice for less-than-ideal conditions on the track, but still, it’s bloody annoying to have everything blowing helter-skelter when one is trying to peg corners into position!

Dinner tonight was omelettes; much to my surprise, Fay doesn’t normally put anything in them, just eating egg with parsley, onion, and garlic chives mixed into the batter and cooked in the frying pan. I sliced up zucchini (or “courgettes” as they’re called here) and a red pepper (“capsicum”), for mine, along with a cold sausage from last night split between Frank and I's omelettes. Unfortunately, my experience in cooking omelettes is rather limited; mine fell apart rather spectacularly when I tried to flip it. Oh well, it tasted pretty good regardless. When I started to eat it I felt myself suddenly jolted back to the last time I had an omelette, in The Naam on West Fouth Ave in Kitsilano with Ron and Dee the morning after the Reverend Horton Heat concert. *That* omelette was definitely just as delicious, but the presentation was markedly better than my messy attempt (it was also lacking in sausage; The Naam is a vegetarian joint. :-)

As I did the dinner dishes Frank and I started talking about dancing and music; he lamented for the days of yesteryear when dances were the places young people went to meet and socalise, and expressed his dislike for hip-hop, rap, and modern clubs with their “masses of bodies jumping up and down”. While I can appreciate how talented some breakdancers are, I agreed with him for the most part; I love dances that require more of the individual than simply bopping up and down to the beat and incorporate partner or group dancing (any sort of waltz and “Home for a Rest” are the first two that come to mind). I brought out my computer and put on a mix of The Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Al Jolson, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, and Frank Sinatra, and we sat and talked and laughed and reminisced. Songs have so many memories attached to them; it’s one of the beautiful joys of music. Faye came in a bit later, and I played for her choirs I have been in singing “Loch Lomond”, “Danny Boy”, “Hallelujah” (from Messiah) and "Moon River", which reminded her fondly of Stefan playing it on his cornet in recital. I must remind him to play that for me when I return home to Canada.

Now it is 10:15pm, and I’m yawning like crazy, so I’m going to turn in. Tomorrow will be spent packing (how exciting!), and enjoying both my last day in Napier and the last day of 2010. I’m in one of the very first cities in the world to welcome in the New Year!